IELTS Study Planner

1 IELTS Study PlannerIELTS Study Planner is brought to you by the British Council, the world's English teaching experts. It is a recommended Study plan that we hope you follow in the next month to make sure you are ready to take IELTS . Our plan will guide you to a range of free IELTS Study materials and resources, as well as suggest activities you can do to improve your English skills. It is our hope that the Planner will get you acquainted with the test format and also improve your confidence when writing, speaking, reading and listening in English. Please note, the IELTS Study Planner is intended to be used as a guideline only. Use the self-check boxes to tick whether or not you have completed the activities listed. Many of you will have different needs and priorities, based on factors such as general English language ability and time available to Study . Feel free to adapt the Planner to best suit your needs, for example, by spending more time focusing on the skills that you are weaker in, or practicing a different skill each day.

2 And remember, for most of you, your IELTS preparation began a long time ago when you first started to learn English! We hope you enjoy using the Study Planner . Test takers who understand the format of IELTS are at an advantage. Become familiar with IELTS by looking at: a practice IELTS test to better understand your current English level. You can find practice papers at: (for text books and past papers)Road to IELTS (for a comprehensive online preparation program) Download the IELTS Prep App onto your phone to give you instant access to free practice tests and sample questions for the listening, reading, writing and speaking sections. To give you an approximate indication of your English level, go to LearnEnglish and take our free online English test. Consider purchasing additional IELTS practice materials. For more information, please go to: You can now take the IELTS test on a computer! Go to ChinaIELTS for more information.

3 Take the familiarization test at GELIELTS. Self-checkDay2345678 Activity (Focus: Listening)What should you do before you hear the test recording? Have a read of some helpful advice in the Exams section of an English language movie/TV show with subtitles in English. Remove the subtitles once you start feeling confident. Try to do some listening where there are no visual clues ( ChinaPlus Radio), as this mirrors the listening in the IELTS test. What should you do during the test recording? Have a read of some helpful advice in the Exams section of to a sports match (that you are familiar with) with English to some English songs and try to write down the lyrics that you hear. Use the internet to see if you were should you do after you hear the test recording? Have a read of some helpful advice in the Exams section of a TED talk online, and choose a topic that may appear in IELTS , environment, education, health, etc.

4 Try and identify how stress, intonation, pauses, and repetition are used for emphasis in the talk. Go to the Skills section of LearnEnglishTeens, and attempt some of the free listening activities at your level. Go online ( download the British Museum Guide app) and listen to a virtual tour of a famous museum or landmark in English. Watch another TED talk online. When you are listening to the talk, pause the recording and try to predict what will come next. Go to and test yourself with some of the listening samples!Compare your responses to the correct answers. Where did you earn most marks? Where did you have misunderstandings?Listen again to the listening samples. Can you hear the correct answer now? Go to and learn everything you can about the listening section (format, timing, task types, how it s marked).Go to and look at some of the listening sample questions. Go to Dialang and find out your English proficiency level in are the key listening skills being tested in IELTS ?

5 Go to Voices Magazine and read Five essential listening skills for English learners .Download the LearnEnglish Audio and Video app and practice listening to different podcasts & videos on a wide range of topics. Watch an English-language movie/TV show from an English-speaking country that isn t the or Can you full understand the accent?Week 1 Self-check9101112131415Go to and learn everything you can about the writing section (format, timing, task types).Go to and look at some of the writing sample questions. Go to Dialang and find out your English proficiency level in (Focus: Writing)What are some things you should do before you start writing in a test? Read about planning time in the Exams section of the IELTS Word Ready app to help with your vocabulary learning for academic writing. Start writing a blog. You can write about your interests, ideas, wishes, humour and anything else you think in English!

6 What do you need to consider when you re writing in a test? Read about writing time in the Exams section of the LearnEnglish Grammar app to help with your grammatical ability for academic writing. Find a Website containing statistical data ( Statista), choose a table, graph or pie chart and write a short description of it. Go to the Skills section of LearnEnglishTeens and attempt some of the writing activities at your level. Practice free writing: write about any topic for 5 mins. Do not stop to read what you are writing, and you ll notice that your writing will become more fluent over time. Send phone messages in English to friends who are learning English. Go to and test yourself with some of the writing samples!Self-assessment: Look at the band descriptors and check if you have included everything you need to at your desired level. Peer-assessment: Ask a friend to evaluate your task answers, using the band descriptors OR a specific language area you d like to focus to ChinaIELTS and download the writing assessment criteria.

7 Pay attention to the descriptors ONE LEVEL above your current level. If you are not sure what each of the four assessment criteria means, watch the short videos at ChinaIELTS in the band descriptors section. Read a news story online ( the Mirror), and make use of the comments section where you can write your opinions about the story. What should you do after you ve finished writing in a test? Read about reviewing time in the Exams section of an article in a newspaper and write a persuasive essay about the topic, using some ideas and content from the original article. Look back at your old written work. Circle any words/grammatical structures that are simple/repetitive, and replace with stronger ones. Week 2 Self-check16171819202122Go to and learn everything you can about the speaking section (format, timing, task types).Go to and look at some of the speaking sample questions. Go to FutureLearn and sign up to Understanding IELTS : Speaking course (open Mar 16th).

8 DayActivity (Focus: Speaking)What communication strategies can you use in the test? Have a look at some in the Exams section of the IELTS Word Power app to help with your vocabulary when speaking. Start an audio journal: practice speaking on a certain topic for 2 mins each day and record it with your phone. Listen and evaluate yourself. How can you become more accurate and fluent when speaking English? Read some advice in the Exams section of a friend who is also learning English, choose a topic that interests you and send each other voice messages in English about it. Find an international language partner on an established language-exchange Website like italki to help you practice English. Go to the Skills section of LearnEnglishTeens and attempt some of the free speaking activities at your level. If you cannot find an (online) conversation club/English corner to join in your university/city, create one yourself today!

9 Choose a scene from a movie you like and try to copy the actor s speech. Pay close attention to their pronunciation and try to copy it. Go to and record your answers to some speaking samples! Self-assessment: Look at the band descriptors and check if your recorded answers include everything you need to at your target level. Peer-assessment: Ask a friend to evaluate your task answers, using the band descriptors OR a specific language area you d like to focus 3Go to ChinaIELTS and download the speaking assessment criteria. Pay attention to the descriptors ONE LEVEL above your current level. If you are not sure what each of the four assessment criteria means, watch the short videos at ChinaIELTS in the band descriptors section. Download the new IELTS Smart Learning app, practice speaking Tasks 1 & 2, and receive feedback on your speaking! Need some tips on how to answer common tasks in a typical speaking test?

10 Go to Exams section of LearnEnglishTeens and find out. Create your own vlog (on a topic that interests you) and share with your friends; encourage them to give feedback on your language. Watch a recent movie and note down any idiomatic language that you hear; try and include this language in your everyday spoken to and learn everything you can about the reading section (format, timing, task types, how it s marked).Go to and look at some of the reading sample to FutureLearn and sign up to Understanding IELTS : Reading course (open Mar 16th).DayActivity (Focus: Reading)What should you do before you start reading in a test? Have a look at some helpful advice in the Exams section of your social media, computer settings, phone settings, email settings to English. Cook a meal with an English language recipe. You can find some recipes at GoodFood. What should you do while you are reading in a test? Have a look at some helpful advice in the Exams section of online and find an English language magazine, blog, or newspaper that interests you (but you have never read before) and start reading an article from a newspaper ( ChinaDaily), and try to write a short summary of it by identifying the key points.